19th.c. Quarryman's Powder Horn.

A fascinating object to kick start the blog again after a few days off and a reminder of one of North Wales' greatest industries. A 19th.c quarryman's powder horn used to carry and pour gunpowder into holes drilled into the slate. Gunpowder was used rather than gelignite as the weaker explosion merely cracked the slate beds rather that blowing the stone into tiny fragments. This is a remarkable artifact discovered locally, just a few miles from the great slate quarry sites of Snowdonia. It is made of a large cattle horn, some 12" long, filled at the wider end with timber held in place with an iron band and stoppered at the point with a wooden bung. The whole is hung on twine from iron fixings.